Basket Willow 
Culture 



BY 



C. D. MELL, M.F. 




Basket Willow 
Culture 



Practical Instructions for Planting 

Cultivating, Harvesting 

and Marketing 



By C. D. MELL, M.F. 

Assistant Dendrologist, Forest Service, U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture 



LEBANON, PENN A. 

REPORT PUBLISHING COMPANY 

1908 






I WO Copies tita:tic-i. 

iAY 6 ^908 

•-^ COHY H. 



J 



CoFYHKiHT, 1908 
BY 

C. D. Mell 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Basket Willow Culture 5 

Soil re(|uirenK"nts 5 

Preparation of the i^round 6 

Selecting- the varieties for planting- / 

Preparing and storing the cuttings S 

Spacing- the cuttings 9 

\\'eeding- and cultivating the holt 9 

I'\'rtilizing the holt lo 

A'itality of the holt 1 1 

Restocking open places 1 1 

Proper rotation for basket willows I2 

Cutting- the rods I2 

Pruning- the rods I3 

Sorting the rods . . 13 

Peeling- the rods 13 

Sale of peeled rods 15 

Sale of unpeeled rods 15 ' 

Insect enemies of basket willows . - 16 

Profit of the basket willow holt 16 

Cost of establishing- the holt i" 

L'tilizing willow bark i^ 

Overproduction of basket willows i^ 

Conclusi( )n I9 



Basket Willow Culture 

INTRODUCTION. 

THE basket willow is one of the little known farm crops which 
cannot be too highly recommended. The farmer is compelled 
more and more to branch out into some special lines of farming in 
order to avoid competition and at the same time secure the highest 
possible returns from his land. He is also compelled not only to cul- 
tivate rationally and intensively the most fertile acres of his farm, 
but also to l)ring under cultivation the least fertile acres and render 
them productive to the fullest extent. The basket wdlow is one of 
the easiest of all the farm crops to propagate. Its management is 
simple. rt([uiring no machinery of complex mechanism, or a great 
deal of high-])riced labor. Almost all the work required in rational 
basket willow culture comes during a time of the year when other 
farm work does not claim the attention of the farmer. He is able, 
therefore, to give constant emjiloyment to his farm hands all the 
year. 

The reason why basket willow culture has received so little atten- 
tion in this country is due partly to the lack of knowledge and partly 
to the mistrust of new things. Every farmer who is eager to get the 
most money from his farm, as well as to enchance the value of his 
land, should give willow culture an unprejudiced consideration. In- 
vestigation will convince him that this is a product of the farm of 
which an over production is absolutely out of the question for many 
years to come. There are few cultural plants which yield suoh a 
good crop in return for so small an outlay of capital and labor. The 
demand for basket willow rods is very great and every year many 
thousands of bundles of rods, as well as large quantities of manufac- 
tured basket willow ware, are imported from France, Germany and 
Holland. The growing of this product is so quick and easy that it 
seems incredible that the industry has not been miore fully developed, 
or more generally introduced. There is a constantly growing de- 
mand for willows, sufficient to take care of a largely increased 
production. 

SOIL REQUIREMENTS. 

One of the first considerations in the cultivation of basket willows 
is the selection of the proper soil. Willows do not thrive in all soils. 
Though they do not require a wet soil, as is often supposed, they do 



6 • 

require one which is permanently moist. Soil which produces a 
good crop of wheat may also yield a fair crop of basket willows 
when properly managed. It is best to select moderately loose, moist, 
loamy sand land. The loam contains the necessary nourishment for 
the plants and retains the moisture, while the sand mixed with loam 
keeps the soil loose and the roots can penetrate quickly and easily in 
all directions. Areas which are low and swampy or subject to fre- 
quent flooding must be drained so that the water does not stagnate 
or the soil become spur. The soil should be deep, with a water level 
preferably not over 6 feet below the surface. 

It was formerly supposed that basket willow growing could not 
be profitable on land having a high rental value. It has been shown 
conclusively, however, that basket willows grown under intensive 
management and in rich soil yield a return equal to or greater than 
that of most farm crops. On the other hand, very poor soil may be 
planted with basket willows, provided the proper varieties are select- 
ed and the soil is sufiiciently fertilized and irrigated. One cannot 
grow basket willows successfully on dry, shallow soil or on perman- 
ently wet and boggy peat land. Locations where frosts are liable 
to occur during the growing season should be avoided since the tops 
of the tender young shoots are easily injured. 

PREPARATION OF THE GROUND. 

. Draining, wherever necessary, must be attended to at once. The 
drains should be straight and open from the lowest part of the 
ground, giving them a depth of two or three feet, according to the 
conditions. They should be about 5 yards apart in wet, and ten 
yards in moderately wet ground. The land should be plowed as 
deep as possible in the fall prior to planting in the following spring. 
The object of the deep plowing is to turn the top layer of the soil 
completely under and in this way bury the weed seeds in the surface 
soil so deep that they cannot spring up during the following season. 
The soil does not settle or become compact during the first winter, 
but becomes thoroughly pulverized by repeated freezing and thaw- 
ing. The depth to which the soil should be turned depends some- 
what on the soil and subsoil. For a sandy soil, which is naturally 
loose and porous, a digging of 10 to 12 inches is sufficient. Where 
the soil is compact and contains heavy clay a digging of 15 to 18 
inches is necessary. Prior to plowing, the area should be thoroughly 
cleaned of all its rubbish and weeds. It is advisable to plant the area 
to potatoes the year before willows are planted, so that the soil be- 
comes thoroughly pulverized during the cultivation and digging of 



this crnp. It is essential iliat weeds are ke])t down, and tlieref<:)re 
thev nuist not be allowed lo come to seed. 

In IcK'ations where the soil is poor it is best to spread well-rotted 
stable manure over the surface just before plowing. Lime is recom- 
mended for soil which is chiefly composed of sand. 

SKiJ-xriNc, Till". \ akii:tii-:s i'or im.a.ntinc.. 

Too much care cannot he exercised in the selection of the varieties 
for jilanting. A great many kinds of basket willows have been in- 
troduced into this country from Europe, but only a few have proved 
worthy of cultivation. Those most commonly jilanted in the L'nited 
States are American green. Welsh, Lemley, and common white. It 
is not always wise to plant extensively the most highly recommend- 
ed varieties until they have been tested on the particular area to be 
planted. Each variety has its special requirements and unless the 
soil constituents and soil moisture are definitely known great care is 
required in the selection. 

Sali.v aiiiygdalvna — American green. This willow requires a 
moderately rich sandy loam, in which it frequently produces rods 
from 8 to lO feet high in a single season. The rods, although heavy 
at the base, grow very tall, straight, and flexible. It produces a 
higher yield in weight per acre than any other variety and is often 
considered the most profitable for general use. 

Salix ['urpurca — Welsh. This willow grows in a great variety of 
soils, and produces rods of excellent quality. In rich loam it crops 
heavily and the rods grow very slender, straight, and cylindrical. 
and seldom produce side branches. The Welsh yields less in bulk 
per acre than the American green, and surpasses it in market value 
and in the quality of the rods. This willow^ has the highest specific 
weight. For planting along shallow river banks, where ice or high 
water is apt to do some damage, this willow^ recommends itself more 
particularly than any other. 

Salix priiinosa acutifolia — Lemley. which is also known as Casp- 
ian willow, is a good cropper in rich, fresh loam. L'nless the stools 
of this variety are planted close the rods develop side branches near 
the top, especially during the first few years of the life of the holt. 
Lemley has been reported to thrive very well in loose, sandy soil 
with a moist loamy subsoil. It demands a very rich soil when the 
rods are cut ofif every year. 

Salix z'iininalis — Common white. This willow has been planted 
rather extensively and with good results in some sections of the 
United States. It produces a great many new shoots every year, and 



8 

the rods are extremely tough and almost perfectly white after peel- 
ing. By correct handling the holt may last many years with only a 
slight decrease in the crop as the stools become older. This willow 
thrives in a great variety of soils but demands a considerable degree 
of soil moisture. 

Sali.v purpurea viminalis — Blend willow. This is one of the earl- 
iest and best basket willows cultivation in North Germany and is 
now introduced here with success. It produces beautiful, slender, 
and branchless rods which are both smooth and cylindrical. The 
first year's rods are generally curved at the base, but the second year 
and thereafter they grow up straight. The pith is considerably 
smaller than in those of the Welsh, and the rods are more flexible. 
There is no basket willow which produces more rods per stool than 
this one. The stock is valued very highly both in the peeled and un- 
peeled conditions. The blend willow thrives in rich, sandy loam 
with a moderate degree of moisture, but it does not grow in wet soil. 

Salix Americana — American willow. This willow is said to have 
had its origin in the United States and has been cultivated in eastern 
Germany for a number of years. It has large and glossy leaves and 
a pinkish stem. The rods are smooth and slender and are considered 
among the best for the production of peeled stock from which the 
best grade of wicker work is made. The American willow is seldom 
attacked by insects, and for this reason may prove to be the basket 
willow of the future. It requires a moderately rich, moist soil. 

There are other varieties yielding good results only in limited sec- 
tions of the country where local conditions are favorable. It is im- 
portant to select varieties possessing the most desirable qualities and 
at the same time fitting the local soil and climatic conditions. Those 
above mentioned usually give the best results in this country. 

Many common names are used for the same varieties of willow in 
various parts of the country. This confusion of vernacular names 
is unfortunate and an attempt is made here to give the name most 
generally used for each variety. 

PREPARING AND STORING THE CUTTINGS. 

Basket willows are propagated on a commercial scale wholly by 
cuttings. The best time to prepare the cuttings is during the last 
half of February or the first half of March. It is best to select them 
from the shoots of the most thrifty stools and only from one-year- 
old rods. It has been the experience of a great many growers that 
cuttings of one-year-old rods produce roots and shoots more quick- 
ly and easily than cuttings from older wood or from rods cut from 



9 
weak stools. Althous^li it is j^onerally atlvisablcj to have the cuttings 
prei)are<l just before plantiiiL;'. tiiey may l)e cut in advance and stored 
until needed. It is best to store them in a barn where it is neither 
too moist nor too dry. They should be partially buried in moderate- 
ly moist sand, with the buds pointing- upwards. 

The cuttings should be of equal lengths for a given soil and site. 
For ordinary conditions, where the soil is moderately moist and 
porous, 8 or lo inches is sufficiently long. Where the water level is 
rather deep the cuttings may be made 12 inches long. The rods 
should be cut in a slanting direction by means of a sharp pocket 
knife. Cutting should not be done during frosty weather. 

Plant early in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the soil. 
The ground should be prepared the preceding fall. The cuttings 
may be planted in holes made with a dibble, which consists pf an iron 
rod about 18 inches long and ^ of an inch in diameter sharpened at 
the lower end, while at the upper end a convenient handle may be 
attached. By means of this a hole may be made in the ground ren- 
dering it easy to push in the cutting to within one inch of the top. 
Care should be taken to have the buds on the cuttings point upwards. 

Nothing adds more to the neat appearance of a holt than accur- 
ate planting. Cuttings should be set in straight lines in both direc- 
tions. 

SPACING THE CUTTIXGS. 

The best spacing is still a matter of dispute among a number of 
growers in this country. European growers have passed the experi- 
mental stage and adopted the system of close spacing, which will 
sooner or later come into general practice here. Most species may 
be planted in rows 18 inches apart and 8 inches apart in the row. 
For small-leaved varieties, such as the purple, it is better to plant 
in rows 15 inches apart and 6 inches apart in the rows. The ad- 
vantages of close spacing compared with wide spacing are as fol- 
lows : 

(a) The rods grow straight, cylindrical, and branchless, (b) 
The yield per unit area is larger than in wide spacing, (c) The 
area becomes fully stocked and the soil remains moist, since the 
dense crown cover i)revents the sun's rays from drying out the soil, 
(d) Weeds are choked out in the dense shade after the second year. 

WEEDING AND CULTIVATING THE HOLT. 

Weeds must be kept out of the holt from the start. This may be 
done at a moderate cost if they are carefully checked during the first 



lO 

two years. After the second year thfe weeds will be choked out by 
the dense shade of the willows. The weed seed should not be allow- 
ed to ripen. Wild morning glories are very troublesome in a great 
many localities and unless they are pulled up before the seed matures 
the holt will be over run in a few years. The vines of this weed 
twine about the young shoots and in many cases render them useless. 
Dodder, or wrap as it is commonly called, is another persistent pest 
in holts where drainage is not well regulated, or where the area is 
completely flooded during the growing season. After these two 
weeds have taken complete foothold in a field of willows it will be 
next to impossible to grow a profitable crop. The number of times 
the holt must be weeded and hoed during the first two years depends 
entirely upon the character of the ground and its preparation prior 
to planting. In moist, rich loam weeds are more apt to be trouble- 
some than in moist sand land and, therefore, must receive consider- 
ably more attention. A thorough hoeing is necessary early in the 
spring. It is best to hoe out all the weeds between the rows, and a 
few days later those between the stools in the rows may be pulled 
up by hand. This should be repeated as often as necessary. Too 
much attention cannot be paid to keeping the holt clean from weeds. 
Where holts are large and labor high it may be advisable to use a 
small horse cultivator, but great care must be taken not to ruin the 
stools by allowing the cultivator to strike them, or to break off the 
young shoots. This will not dispense with the hoeing and weeding 
between the stools in the rows. The soil may in this way be broken 
up and pulverized to the depth of from 2 to 4 inches, depending 
upon the nature of the soil. Great care should be exercised not to 
break up the soil too deep since this would injure the roots of the 
willows. In some cases the roots are disturbed slightly by ordinary 
cultivation, but this injury is compensated for in a great measure by 
the vigor imparted to the willows through loosening and pulverizing 
the soil and killing the weeds. In locations where the soil is well 
drained the root system is deep and very little injury results from 
cultivating. A willow plantation in which the stools are set in regu- 
lar rows and in which all troublesome weeds are kept out, presents 
a very attractive appearance. 

FERTILIZING THE HOLT. 

Where the soil is poor one should fertilize before planting as if it 
were intended for wheat or corn. Well-rotted stable manure, wood 
ash, and gypsum and lime are all excellent fertilizers, and should be 
spread on the land prior to plowing. It is a very good plan to ferti- 



1 1 

lizc an area ihorouL^lily and then first sdw cK)Vfr. alfalfa, or same 
other lei^unie, wliicli >h(>nl(l be allowed to gTOvv up. This crop may 
then be plowed under, which will not only serve a.s a very g-ood 
fertilizer but will also keep the soil loose and moist for several years. 
Fertilizing old plantations frequently becomes necessary in order to 
prolong the life of the holt. Well-rotted stable manure should be 
spread broadcast over the bolt immediately after the willows have 
been cut. Great care should be taken to use manure free from weed 
seeds. Fertilizers containing phosphoric acid are very highly recom- 
mended. The quality of the rod in old plantations is considerably 
improved when this fertilizer is used. 

\ 11 A LIT \' OF rm-: holt. 

The length of time during which a willow plantation yields a 
profitaible return to the owner depends upon a number of things : 
variety, soil, drainage, climate, preparation of the ground, fertiliz- 
ing, irrigation, or soil moisture, care and cultivation of the holt, 
manner of cutting the shoots, and the protection of the holt from 
winds, animals, or insects. The duration can be easily prophesied 
when one is familiar with these factors. Under favorable conditions 
a holt should last irom i8 to 25 years. As soon as the production is 
considerably diminished on account of the loss of vitality in the 
mother stools, it becomes necessary to grub them up. A crop of 
corn or wheat should then be raised on the area before it is again 
planted to willows, but it is best to select a different variety of wil- 
low from the one originally grown in the holt. 

It is claimed by expert growers that the profitable life of a holt 
may be increased by allowing the willows now and then to grow for 
two years without cutting them. 

RESTOCKING OPEN PLACES. 

Although willow growers realize that it is absolutely necessary to 
plant in places where stools are missing, they very seldom attend to 
it with sufficient care. The vitality and productiveness of the holt 
depend largely upon the proper replacing of dead and decrepit stools 
with vigorous new shoots. Every year a number of stools die from 
insect and fungous diseases, or from injuries inflicted while cultivat- 
ing the holt. Stagnant water or an insufficient amount of soil mois- 
ture frequently causes stools to die. It is best to grub up all the un- 
productive stools every year and plant in their places thrifty new 
shoots. This may take place any time from late fall until the middle 
of April. For this purpose ordinary short cuttings should not be 



12 

used, ibnt entire one-year-old rods, which must be vigorous and 
branchless. The shoots should be forced into the ground as deep as 
possible. Cuttings require more time to sprout in the spring than 
the neighboring older stools which already have fully developed 
root systems, and in order to prevent the shoots of new cuttings 
from being over-topped and choked out, long rods are planted. Rods 
used in restocking open places must be free from branches so that 
they are not swayed and twisted too much by the wind, which would 
interfere with their root development. 

PROPER ROTATION FOR BASKET WILLOWS. 

After a number of years the rods show a diminished height 
growth even in the best regulated holts. This is the first sign of the 
deterioration of the stools, or of an insufficient supply of soil mois- 
ture. It is often a waste of time and labor to attempt to revive an 
old holt after it has shown marked signs of diminished yield. A 
young holt gives better returns and it pays to grub up the old stool 
early and seed the area to wheat, corn, or potatoes. After several 
years the area may again be planted to willows. Proper rotation 
should not only be practiced with the ordinary farm crop, but also 
with the different varieties of willows. The Welsh may be followed 
by the American green. The most experienced willow growers in 
Europe find it most profitable to rotate the crop every 12 or 15 
years, depending upon the soil and variety of willow. 

CUTTING THE RODS. 

The rods may be cut as soon as the wood has fully matured and 
the leaves have fallen. As a rule, rods are cut in this country during 
February and March, but they may be harvested any time between 
the end of October and the middle of March. If cut after the sap 
rises, the stools suffer from loss of sap and the shoots themselves 
become less valua'ble. Rods intended to be dried with the bark on 
should be harvested during December and January. 

It is very essential to cut the rods close to the stool. This will 
aid a great deal in keeping the stools low. A very objectionable fea- 
ture in a poorly managed willow holt consists in high stools. As a 
rule, stools heave considerably in rather moist soil, and where 
careless cutting" is practiced they are apt to become especially high. 
It is best to use a short-bladed knife, shaped somewhat like a sickle, 
which should be kept very sharp. The cutting stroke must be clean 
and decisive. Each rod should be held tightly in the left hand and 
cut by a single stroke. 



13 

I-KIXINC I' I II". RODS. 

A certain percentage of the roils of all varieties of basket willow.s 
and under all methods of management develo]) side branches. If 
the grower does not care to separate the l)ranched from the un- 
branched rods, pruning is most conveniently done just before cutting 
them. A very sharp, sickle-shaped knife is used for this ])urpose. 
Care should be taken to shave off the branches as close to the rod as 
possible. It is often advisable, however, to separate the branched 
from the unbranched rods, and when this is done considerable is 
gained by pruning after cutting, since it is nuich (juicker and easier 
to sort the branched from the unl)ranche(l rods l)efore than after 
pruning. 

SORTING THE RODS. 

The rods are sorted in four height classes immediately after cut- 
ting. This is commonly known as drafting and consists in sorting 
the rods according to sizes by means of a measuring stick placed 
upright on the side of a barrel in which rods are stood on end. They 
are then removed according to their height, the tallest first. 

When the rods are intended for peeling they must be tied firmly 
in bundles of convenient size and weight (about 40 pounds) and 
placed standing on their butts in water to the depth of 4 or 6 inches. 
These bundles must be firmly fixed in position so as not to be dis- 
turbed by the wind. In this shallow pond, which is commonly called 
a pit, a rack must be arranged to keep the bundles upright and 
secure. The rods must remain in this position until the sap rises 
and they begin to sprout. They are then ready to be peeled. 

If they are to be used green or with the bark on, they must be set 
up thinly and loosely on the butts in any dry place until the sap has 
left them. As soon as they dry they must be put under cover, pre- 
ferably in a place where the moisture is uniform. Tbey may be sort- 
ed either before or after they are dry, but they should not be tied 
into bundles until they are thoroug'hly dried and carefully sorted. 
Tie the bundles firmly and securely. In cases where the rods are 
long, it is advisable to sort them into 5 grades, and great care should 
be exercised to have the rods in each bundle as nearly uniform in 
length as possible. 

PEELING THE RODS. 

Two methods are employed in the preparation of rod's for peeling, 
both quite simple. In one case the rods are placed in a pit contain- 
ing 4 or 6 inches of water as above described and left there until the 



14 
sap is up and the bark can be easily removed. This is known as sap 
peeHng". The other me'thod, commonly referred to as steam peeling, 
consists in steaming or .boiling the rods imtil the bark is loose and 
readily comes off. 

In the ordinary method of sap peeling, the rods remain almost 
pure white. The apparatus for peeling consists of a round steel rod 
from ^ to 5^ of an inch in diameter and about 4 feet long, which is 
doubled over so that the two ends are brought together making a 
double rod 2 feet long. This instrument is known as a brake, and 
there are a great many different designs. The lower or welded end 
of the parallel rods must be inserted in a log placed at a convenient 
height. The brake must be perpendicular and have the upper ends 
of the prongs sl'ightly curved out one inch from the top so that the 
rods can easily be put in the brake. The operator places the thick 
end of the rod between the prongs of the brake and draws it to- 
wards him and the bark is at once separated from the wood. The 
small end is then treated in a simikr way which completes the peel- 
ing. 

The white peeled rods should be bleached quickly in the sun and 
thoroughly dried in the open air, after which they s'hould be stored 
in a dry, dark place. When thoroughly dry, they must be tied in 
t'undles about 3 or 4 feet in circumference at the base, three bands 
to each bundle, one near each end and the third in the middle. The 
rods in the bundle must all be as nearly parallel as possible. It is a 
good plan to place a small armfull of rods in the middle of the bun- 
dle, so that the ends extend out about one foot beyond the bottom 
and tie it in this state. By lifting the bundle a few times, and letting 
it fall on its base on the iground, the protruding butts act as wedge 
and tighten the bundle. 

Rods peeled by using boiling water or steam ,are known as buff 
in dis'tinction from white rods peeled in the ordinary way. In the 
process of bdiling, the coloring matter or tannin in the bark stains 
the willow a buff color. White rods are used almost exclusively for 
high grade wicker work, but it is often claimed that steam-peeled 
rods are the .more durable. 

Andther method of preparing the rods for sap peeling is coming 
into use. They are cut and sorted in the usual way and placed in a 
steam-heated room having a temperature as nearly as possible at 
summer heat. The bundles are stood upright on a dirt floor of thor- 
oughly saturated clayey loam. This serves the same purpose as a 
pit for storing rods preparatory for sap peeling in the spring. When 



15 

rods arc thus treated after tiie first <d" January tliey he.^in ti) s])ri)ut 
and are read}' for peeling- in a very short time. 

SAi.i". oi' i'i:i:i.i:i) kods. 

The price of willow rods depends upon quality and size. The sale 
value of the same quality varies, however, in the dilTerent sections 
of the countr}-. I'he i^rowcr may be able to sell his rods to basket 
makers in the neighborhood, and thus can otYer them for less than 
those who have to ship to a distant market. It is always advisable 
for gTOwers to tind market for their stock with local manufacturers 
because he \Vill be in constant touch with customers and can cater to 
their requirementls in special varieties or grades. 

There is always a gToat demand among- willow ware manufactur- 
ers in .this country for white or peeled willows, and they are eag;er 
to buy in large quantities, provided, the rods are carefully sotted. 
Unfortunaitely. it is difficult to convince most growers that there is 
a constantly increasing demand for high-grade willow ix)ds. It is, 
indeed, a singular fact that in a country where all lines of work 
have taken immense strides during the past two decades, that the 
willcAv industry has not been more fully developed. Every year 
large quantities of wallow rods and manufactured willow wfcire are 
imported from Europe. 

SALE OF UNPEELED RODS. 

The management of a holt of willows to be sold with the bark on 
ib the same as for the production of peeled willows. The object in 
both case's is the largest possible yield of beautiful, slender and 
branchless rods. xAfter cutting begins the operation is more simple, 
dhaaper, and requires less time, which is a matter of consideration 
with m'any growers. The rods are not sorted according to height, 
but all branched and crooked must be separated from branchless and 
straight. In well regulated holts, planted with the best cuttings, 
worthless rods seldom occur. Immediately after cutting, the rods 
should be bound into bundles about oue foot in diameter. These 
bundles are stood on their butt ends. As many as lOO bundles 
weighing approximately 2jj tons are brought together. They re- 
main in this posittton until shipping time, when they are taken to the 
railroad station where they may be weighed. Good willow sells for 
I to 3 cents per pound, and growers who mianage their holts on the 
intensive plan will experience no difficulty in realizing from $60 to 
$80 per acre by selling their .willows green. It is always best to sell 
direct to the manufacturer. 



i6 . 

INSECT ENEMIES OF BASKET WILLOWS. 

Basket willows, like corn or wheat, are subject to tlie ravages of 
insect pests. Rods fhus injured are generally rendered useless, 
since the injury inflicted on the tender young shoots causes the part 
of the rod atove the injury to die and side brandies are produced 
immediately below. The entire stool is weakened at the same time. 
Promiinent among the insects destructive to basket willo'ws is a class 
of beetles which readily fall to the ground when the host plant re- 
ceives z sudden blow. 

Some growers combat the ravages of these beetles by drawing a 
rope over the young sdioots to shake the beetles to the ground. Two 
men, one at each end of the rope albout 20 feet long, can cover in 
this niarner 10 acres in less /than a day. The beetles ^require some 
'time to cra'wl up the sitem to the tip of the s'hoot, that being the 
principal point of attack by the female when depositing her eggs. 
If the beetles are shaken down every day for a week or ten days 
.during the time they lare apt to do the greatest damage, considerable 
loss may be avoided. It has been observed that in holts to which 
'chickens have access, insect injury is very slight. Sparrows and 
other birds destroy a greiat many insects which attack basket willows 
and it is advisable, therefore, to encourage these birds to multiply 
in the immediate neighborhood of a holt. This may be done by put- 
ting up a great many small sparrow houses on poles from 12 to 15 
■feet higli. 

Spraying w'ith one or more deterrent m'ix^tures is frequently 
recommeuded but none of the pests has yet been fully controlled in 
this way. Several special machines have been devised for the cap- 
ture of .the beetles but they have not been brought into general use. 

A simple remedy for controlling inserts which deposit their eggs 
in the tip of the tender young shodts is to prune the affected shoots 
several inches belOw the point of attack. 

PROFIT OF A BASKET WILLOW HOLT. 

The profit to be obtained from a crop of basket willows depends 
upon a number of factors. Favorable soil and climatic conditions 
are among the first requirements, but as in other crops, an extra- 
ordinary profit can not be expected without extraordinary care and 
cultivation. The yield, or profit, of any crop stands in direct ratio 
to the degree of iritensi'ty of cultivation. Farmers who intend to 
plant willows for basket rods should not calculate upon realizing 
extreme profits except in case where all the determining factors are 



17 
very favorable, whidi they seldom are. With jj^iper care willo'vv 
growers realize as good returns as froin any other croj) usually 
grown in this countr}'. The profit is more largely regulated by the 
quality of the stock produced than by the amoun-t. ( )ne ton of good 
rods may he worth n^oro than three tons of poor (juality. 

To realize the hig^he'st net returns from a willdw holt, one must 
strive to produce rods with the following essential qualities : Wil- 
lo^vs intended to be used with the hark on must be smooth, tough, 
branic'hles's and cylindrical, and the color of the bark mirst remaiin 
a light brown. Those intended to be peeled .must posses's the alx)ve- 
named qualities and in addition should have an almost ])ure white 
color after peeling, a small pith and straig"ht g'rain. 

Considering thait willow rods with the bark on can not be kept for 
more than a vear, it is in most cases best to peel them. Peeled rods 
do not depreciate in value if they are stored in a suitable place. An 
average acre of well-mian'aged holt yields laibout 4,000 pounds of 
peeled rods, varying somewhat with the variety. At 5 cents ])er 
pound, this amounts to $200, of which three-fifths may be con- 
sidered .'as a net .return per acre. 

COST OF ESTABLISHING A HOLT. 

The items of greatest expense in the establishment of a holt are 
the preparation of the soil and procuring and planting the cuttings. 
The cost of plowing and harrowing depends upon the locality. The 
expense involved in buying cuttings is determined by spacing. 

The numbers of cuttings required for an acre are as follows : 

Distances apart Distances between No. of cuttings 

in the rows. the rows. per acre. 

5 indies 15 inches <^3/\^5 

6 " 18 " 58,080 

9 '' 20 " 34,848 

Cuttings can be bought for one dollar and up'ward })er thousand. 
It is difficult to estimate the expenditures in establishing a holt since 
so much depends upon local conditions. The follo\ving may be con- 
sidered an average expense per acre : 

Preparation of land $ 6.00 

Cost of cuttings 58.00. 

Cost of planting 11. oo 



Total cost $75.00 



i8 • 

UTILIZING WILLOW BARK. 

The bark obtained by peeling the willow rods generally is consid- 
ered of no economic value by willow growers. Although no use has 
'been made of 'the bark in this country it undoubtedly will be utilized 
in the future for a great variety of purposes. It is very important 
to dry the bark thoroug*hly immediately after peeling. In this state 
lit may be stored in a dry place with uniform moisture conditions. 

It mlay be used for the production ,of tannin, w'hich it yields in 
quantity and quality equal to that of oak bark. The tannin obtained 
•from wiilo'w bark is used almost exclusively in Denmark for tanning 
the leather used in making high-priced gloves. A reddish-brown 
coloring matter known as Bismark brown is extracted from the bark 
of Lem'ley and -related varieties. This color is used in staining 
leather. 

As soon as the bark can be obtained dn sufficiently large quanti- 
tties by tanmin extract concerns, willow growers will have no diffi- 
culty in realizing an additional revenue from the sale of this product. 

In paints of Europe the bark of all varieties is used for fodder and 
beddiing for cattle and sheep. I""or this purpose it has a market 
(Value of $15 per ton. It is also used in the manufacture of door 
mats which outlast those made from straw or rush. The inner por- 
tion of the bark has been used recently in weaving a coarse linen 
useful in the arts. 

OVERPRODUCTION OF B.KSKET WILLOWS. 

It has been said that witMn a few years the production of basket 
Avillow rods in th'is country will be .go great that the price will be 
qiiaterila'lly lo'wered. Present indications do not point in this direc- 
tion, and 'it is safe to assert that under normal development's during 
the next two decades the overproduction of raw material is not like- 
Jy to be equal to the amount consumed. As soon as the quality of 
the :stock gro'wn in this country is improved by proper management 
'in the holt, conrpetition will he brought about with rods imported 
■from Germany and the price for home-gro'wn stock will be material- 
ly advanced. An increased production unquefetiionably calls forth an 
•increased consumption of raw (material and the price will not be af-- 
'fected. At present peeled rods stU frcm 5 to 12 cents per pounds, 
'depending upon the quality, and if they should sell for one-fourth 
.less than the present prices the growers would still realize a higher 
net return frcm an acre of good basket willows than from an acre 
•planted w'i'th w heat or corn. 



19 

COXCLUSIOX. 

It is considered unnecessary to give the reader vdio is not famil- 
iar A\ itli the different basket willows a long list of names of varie- 
ties not fully tested in this country. Those who wish to plant wil- 
lows for basket rodis are advised to secure stock of varieties most 
likely to thrive best on the greatest variety of soils. The American 
gTcen and Wels'h ,give good results under the widest range of soil 
conditions. New varieties may be gradually introduced into the 
holt but it is ahvays best to test them on a small scale in different 
soils before extensive plan'tations are made. There are a great many 
points in the cul'tivation of basket willows w>h'ich the grower must 
learn by experience. One must familiarize himself with the require- 
ments of the willo\vs he wishes to plant and with the soil and mois- 
ture conditions of the holt. In order to avoid a great many mistakes, 
it is especially advis'able that willow groovers in a .community form 
an association, and hold meetings at convenient places, wihere their 
experiences may be communicated to others and thus be mutually 
l">enefited. 



MAY Q V901 



